The National Hockey League draft usually has team’s focusing on their future in an effort to stockpile their systems, but the 2010 draft could see a number of teams focusing more on the present. The St. Louis Blues got the ball rolling by striking a deal with the Montreal Canadiens for playoff hero Jaroslav Halak. That was followed by the blockbuster deal between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers; which included Nathan Horton, Gregory Campbell, Denis Wideman and draft picks. It was just a matter of hours when another huge trade took place between Chicago and Atlanta. The trade saw playoff hero Dustin Byfuglien head to Atlanta, along with Brent Sopel, Ben Egger and Akim Aliu in exchange for the 24th pick in the first round, Atlanta’s 54th pick, Marty Reasoner, Jeremy Morin and Joey Crabb. These trades appear to be just the prelude to what could be one of the busiest draft weekends in recent years.
Given their cap issues, everyone was expecting the Blackhawks to be busy making deals this off-season, and the Byfuglien trade could just be the first of many this weekend alone. The Hawks knew they could not afford to keep their current Stanley Cup winning roster together, and speculation immediately began regarding who might be leaving the windy city this summer. Byfuglien was one of the big names mentioned, but was not the only one. Patrick Sharpe, Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ladd are also a few names that have been prominently brought up in a number of scenarios. While trading Byfuglien likely means Sharpe is staying put in Chicago, Versteeg and Ladd could still find themselves in different uniforms next season.
Versteeg has garnered a lot of interest from a number of teams due to his immense skill level and young age. Versteeg was one of the members of the Hawks who received an unexpected raise last season as a result of Dale Tallon’s RFA tender flap, and that put the Hawks in immediate trouble. Versteeg’s rather large $3.083 annual cap hit is making it rather difficult for the Hawks to keep his services. His performance in the playoffs has only increased interest in Versteeg, and that could mean the timing is right for the Blackhawks to pull the trigger on a trade. It is always tough to trade away high end talent from the current roster, especially a winning one, but maximizing the return is the job of every general manager, and Stan Bowmen could find the offers to good to pass up.
The Blackhawks situation with Andrew Ladd is very similar to Versteeg’s. Ladd does not have the offensive upside of Versteeg, but his is a rugged two-way forward, that is capable of providing some timely scoring, and also brings a physical element to the ice. Ladd is a restricted free agent, and it is believed his price could be too high for Chicago. Many teams would definitely benefit from having the two time Stanley Cup Champion on their roster, and Stan Bowman will once again be in a position to maximize this asset. The Hawks would love to keep Ladd apart of this group, and have held contract talks with his agent, but if the price is too high, Ladd could find himself with another organization as soon as this weekend.
The Boston Bruins are the other team garnering the most attention on the rumour mill over the last week. The Bruins find themselves in a very odd situation. They are a team that appears to be very close to contending for the Stanley Cup after advancing to the second round the last two seasons, but they also hold the second overall pick in this year’s draft due to last summer’s Phil Kessel trade. Boston have already pulled the trigger on the Nathan Horton trade, but it does not appear that GM Peter Chiarelli is finished wheeling and dealing.
The Horton trade, along the selection of Hall or Sequin at number two overall, leaves Boston with a surplus at the forward position, but very thin on the blueline. Every summer rumours begin to emerge of the potential departure of Marc Savard, but the Bruins might actually be seriously considering such a move this time around. However, Savard could still find himself in a Boston jersey next season if Chiarelli is able to fill the void on the blueline by dealing goaltender Tim Thomas. Thomas lost the starting job last season to the much younger and cheaper Tuukka Rask, which means Thomas’ departure from Boston is imminent. There are a number of teams throughout the league in need of a goaltender, but one has to wonder how much any team will pay for Thomas’ services given his cap number, and the Bruins desperate need to ship him out.
The Bruins came very close to a deal last summer that would have brought Tomas Kaberle to Beantown, and those same rumours have crept up again one year later. And why wouldn’t they? Not much has changed, Kaberle remains one of the few assets Toronto has to deal, and the Bruins still need a puck moving defensemen. While a trade with Boston is not out of the question, there are said to be a number of teams very interested in Kaberle, and Brian Burke will be looking to maximize the return. The Leafs could still decide to keep Kaberle apart of their current roster, but given the money already assigned to Toronto’s backend it appears likely that Kaberle’s days in Toronto are numbered. The Leafs desperately need more scoring and depth in the organization, so if a high end forward or draft picks are offered, Burke will probably pull the trigger. Kaberle’s no trade clause does kick in again until July 1st, so the Leafs do have to make a decision quickley in order to have full control over their return on investment.
Kaberle is not the only offensive defensemen being shopped at the draft this weekend. The Edmonton Oilers have made it abundantly clear that Sheldon Souray is available. Souray will not be the easiest asset to move. His cap hit comes in at a lofty $5.4 million, and he is coming off an injury plagued season. Souray only played in 37 games last season, compiling just 13 points in the process and finishing a whopping -19 in that short time. He has never been known for his defensive prowess, but he does still bring a rocket from the point, and can improve almost any team’s powerplay. Teams will be interested in Souray, but Edmonton fans may not be getting the kind of return they want for such a high profile player.
That leaves us with possibly the most high profile player available this summer in Ottawa’s Jason Spezza. Senators’ GM Brian Murray publicly stated this week that Spezza would not be opposed to a trade, which basically let every other general manager in league know that the Sens are open for business. Spezza fell out of favour with fans in Ottawa after the star struggled mightily in an opening round loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It appears that the booing from fans has turned off Spezza, and the press conference would also indicate that Spezza may have also fallen out of favour with team management.
Trading Spezza will not be easy, however, as the Sens number one center is not only coming off a disappointing campaign, but his $7 million cap hit will make it difficult for any potential suitor to fit him into their system. Spezza is also due a $4 million bonus on July 1st, and most teams would rather make a deal with the Sens after Ottawa pays out that bonus. A trade involving Spezza is probably more likely to happen over the summer months, but there are a few franchises that would definitely benefit from Spezza’s offensive talents, and they could decide to make the mover quickly before other teams become seriously involved.
These are just a few of the players being mentioned in potential draft weekend trades. Teams are always trying to tweak their line-ups in an effort to improve over the summer, and deals are almost certain to take place when every general manager in the league is brought together. The prospects maybe the reason everyone is in Los Angeles, but the trades will likely become the biggest story.